Forbes CommunityVoice™ allows professional fee-based membership groups ("communities") to connect directly with the Forbes audience by enabling them to create content – and participate in the conversation – on the Forbes digital publishing platform. Each topic-based CommunityVoice™ is produced and managed by the group.

Opinions expressed within Forbes CommunityVoice™ are those of the participating individuals.

When it comes time for technology workers to choose a career, they will face a near-endless list of choices. Less than half of people with related skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) work for a designated technology company, and 56% of them are employed by organizations across the economy, according to research from the Computing Technology Industry Association.

That means competition is fierce for organizations in any industry to attract IT workers to their field.

Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) is executing a deliberate strategy to attract IT workers to the health care industry. Thirty-five percent of HCSC employees work in a STEM-related field, and we expect to see a more than 25% increase in STEM-related jobs in the next two years.

Two main factors are driving health care’s increasing demand for IT workers and the opportunities available to them in the industry.

The first is the consumerization of health care. Our members are more actively involved in making important health care choices for themselves and their families than ever before. To assist members in making these important decisions, we must continue offering comprehensive information through established and emerging digital channels.

The other is that data’s significance in health care and health insurance has exploded in recent years. Drawing insights from member and physician data will help drive more effective care, and artificial intelligence and machine learning -- technologies that help us harness massive amounts of data -- are becoming critical tools to synthesize the growing amount of available data.

And the health care industry isn’t alone. Demand for IT workers is fierce in nearly every industry. Eighty-six percent of hiring managers and recruiters agree it’s difficult to find and hire tech talent, a 2016 survey from Indeed found. More than half of respondents report they are settling for candidates who don’t even meet the minimum job description requirements.

With all of that in mind, HCSC has invested time and effort to strengthen and diversify the pipeline of IT talent and attract tech workers to the health insurance industry. Here are three pillars of our approach that other businesses looking to acquire tech talent can follow:

Invest In STEM Education Efforts

When companies invest in STEM education efforts, it not only can grow the pipeline of future tech workers by getting students excited about STEM, but it also can show potential recruits how the company leverages technology as part of its business.

Several large companies have made STEM education a priority. Various companies -- including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Salesforce -- are part of a group that pledged $300 million for computer science education, for example.

Many organizations reach out to elementary, middle and high school students studying STEM subjects since the talent pipeline coming from STEM education is essential to success.

For example, we partner with Lumity, a nonprofit that provides young adults from underserved communities with skills to prepare them for STEM careers, to host a bi-annual Innovation Challenge. At that event, high school juniors and seniors come to our headquarters and develop prototypes of mobile apps with our employees.

Accenture and Allstate are also major supporters of Lumity. Their employees participate in career site visits that offer students an interactive, hands-on look at how STEM is applied in business. They also host real-world project initiatives that provide students experience in solving problems and learning skills directly applicable to the workplace.

These types of partnerships positively impact local communities to help reduce educational inequalities. Through these investments, companies can supplement STEM education efforts in schools, give students opportunities to pursue STEM studies and ensure they are prepared for the in-demand STEM jobs of the future.

Promote Your Purpose

Increasingly, people entering the workforce are looking for more than just a salary; they are looking for a purpose-driven career that can help them make a difference. Health care as an industry gives IT workers an opportunity to channel their IT skills for a higher purpose, but companies outside of health care likely have a purpose or mission that sets them apart from competitors. For instance, HCSC’s purpose is “to do everything in our power to stand with our members in sickness and in health.” We work to directly connect IT team members to how they are positively affecting the lives of our members. I’d recommend other IT recruiters to tie their company’s mission directly to what tech workers do every day to give them a sense of purpose in their work and keep them inspired.

Create An Enjoyable Environment

Recruiting is one part of the equation, but if the environment doesn’t match the talk, tech talent will likely move elsewhere. Eliminating cubicles and creating open floor plans, similar to the offices of tech giants in Silicon Valley, can encourage collaboration and entice tech workers to join your company.

That’s why HCSC created more than 150,000 square feet of digital lab space with open floor plans in our Chicago office. The new physical spaces make it easier for IT and business employees to interact with one another, which results in greater efficiency and new opportunities for innovation and cross-team collaboration. We’ve seen this fuel the rapid scaling of technology solutions and improve software delivery times, with the ultimate aim of decreasing health care costs.

Going beyond the physical environment, companies need to invest in professional development and employee recognition programs. With the proper strategic framework, these programs position employees for success, allowing them to perform the responsibilities of their roles better, which ultimately can help attract top job candidates.

Training programs allow employees to learn new skills in targeted ways. When a company invests in its employees, there is a strong likelihood that performance will improve.

Likewise, programs that allow employees to nominate their peers for an achievement increases engagement, empowers employees to be part of the recognition process and can lead to better recruitment.

Steps like these are no longer optional -- they’re vital to attracting top IT talent and building a strong pipeline of future IT professionals.